The GMC TopKick and the Chevrolet Kodiak are a range of medium-duty trucks that General Motors built from 1980 to 2009. Introduced as a variant of the medium-duty C/K line, the trucks went through three generations and were used for cargo hauling, dump work and bus chassis.
GMC TopKick at a glance
| Type | medium-duty truck |
|---|---|
| Production | 1980-2009 |
| Twin model | Chevrolet Kodiak |
| Generations | three |
| First generation | 1981-1990, GMC C7000, Class 7 |
| Second generation | 1990-2002, GMT530 |
| Second-generation models | 5500, 6500 and 7500 series |
| C8500 | added for 1997 as a Class 8 variant |
| Built at | Janesville 1989-2002, Toluca 1994-2008 |
| Final truck | TopKick 5500, Flint, 31 July 2009 |
| Successor in 2019 | Chevrolet 4500/5500/6500HD, no GMC version |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Chevrolet Kodiak, which covers the TopKick as its GMC twin. The photograph shows a Chevrolet-badged C5500, the same truck.
History of the GMC TopKick
First generation (1981-1990)
For 1981 GM introduced the Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC TopKick, officially designated the Chevrolet C70 and GMC C7000, as Class 7 trucks. They were the largest versions of the medium-duty C/K series and were developed to take the Caterpillar 3208 V8 diesel from the larger Chevrolet Bruin and GMC Brigadier. Fitting that engine meant a taller hood with the headlamps moved below the grille and the cab mounted several inches higher, but the new hood was shorter, reducing bumper-to-back-of-cab length from 98 to 92 inches. Like the Bruin and Brigadier the trucks came with single or tandem axles, as straight trucks or semitractors. Chevrolet named its version after a frontier beast in the style of the Bison and Bruin, while GMC used a military slang term following the Brigadier and General.
Second generation (1990-2002)
For 1990 GM released the second generation on the GMT530 architecture. After 1988 GM had ended heavy-truck production, replaced by Volvo GM-designed WhiteGMC vehicles, so the GMT530 trucks became the largest vehicles the company assembled, and the Kodiak and TopKick names now covered the whole medium-duty range. Over thirteen years the platform changed little, and because medium-duty trucks did not need airbags the cab interior stayed the same throughout. For 1997 a lower-profile aerodynamic hood became available, not offered on C8500, severe-service or school bus applications; trucks with it carried C5500 to C8500 badging instead of Kodiak or TopKick badges, a change extended to standard-hood models in 1998.
Second-generation detail
The GMT530 trucks took their cabs from the GMT400 platform to save tooling costs and used a single hood length. They skipped the 4500 series and were offered in 5500, 6500 and 7500 payload series, with Chevrolet base and Silverado trims and GMC SL and SLE trims until distinct trim levels were dropped in 1994. A raised-roof cab arrived in 1991, and for 6500-series trucks a Lo-Pro configuration with 19.5-inch wheels lowered the frame by about five inches for rental and delivery work. A four-door crew cab became an option after 1992, all GMT530 trucks received anti-lock brakes in 1997, and a Class 8 C8500 with single or tandem rear axles appeared the same year. Janesville built North American trucks from 1989 to 2002, Toluca in Mexico supplied exports from 1994 to 2008, and Brazilian trucks used Caterpillar 3116 engines with metric-ton badging.
The end
With market share falling, GM sought to leave heavy-truck manufacturing, and after failing to find joint ventures or a buyer for the line it ended Kodiak and TopKick production in 2009. The final medium-duty truck, a GMC TopKick 5500, came out of Flint Truck Assembly on 31 July 2009. GM returned to the conventional medium-duty segment for 2019 with the Chevrolet Silverado 4500, 5500 and 6500HD, developed with Navistar and sold only as a Chevrolet with no GMC counterpart.
Design and features
- Three generations: from the short-hood C7000 to the GMT530 trucks.
- Vocational basis: designed for cargo, dump and similar work, with bus chassis variants.
- C8500: a Class 8 version added in 1997 after the Brigadier and General left.
- Lo-Pro option: a lowered frame on 19.5-inch wheels for rental and delivery fleets.
- Long run: 29 years of production under one name.
GMC TopKick versions
- TopKick C7000 (1981-1990): the first-generation Class 7 truck.
- GMT530 5500, 6500 and 7500 (1990-2002): the main second-generation range.
- C8500 (1997-2002): the Class 8 variant.
- Lo-Pro 6500: the lowered-frame delivery and rental version.
- Third generation (2003-2009): the final C4500 to C8500 trucks built until 2009.
The TopKick replaced the medium-duty GMC C/K and sat below the GMC Brigadier and GMC General. More trucks are in the GMC collection.
Sources
- Chevrolet Kodiak, English Wikipedia: generations, models, chassis, plants, end of production
